It almost seems like an annual tradition for Falcons fans. We go into a game with lofty expectations and the team finds a new way to frustrate us. However Womens Ryan Schraeder Jersey , so much went wrong in this game that it’s nearly impossible to pin it down to one cause, though that won’t stop most people from trying to do so. It’s a long season and the first game is rarely an indicator for how the next 15 will go, no matter how much we want to believe it is. That’s not to say the team doesn’t have a large number of issues to work on - particularly the offense - but it is to say that much can change in just one week and we really should take this season one game at a time. If they look far better against the Panthers, the panic will surely seem somewhat premature. Kendall JacksonDefinitely freak outI think it’s pretty clear the Falcons are staring 0-16 in the face. Cam MarinoSemi-suspicious...Alright, there was no reason we should’ve lost. Why did we lose? Well, execution was abysmal. I like that we gave Julio the ball a ton, because he produced, but not at the cost of the game. Don’t force the ball into double coverage when Mohamed Sanu is four steps away from catching the game winning touchdown on a slant route. As a fan, I am beyond frustrated. The excuse that it’s the first game is extremely invalid. This is the NFL and there are only 16 opportunities in a season. The Falcons have blown their first. I’m not going to bash our franchise QB, but where the heck was he? That interception is 110% unacceptable. Complete lack of communication. Julio did some weird fade off thing but Matt had released the ball too early. That play literally summed up the game. Now, on the bright side, the Falcons defense was solid for a while. They held a Super Bowl offense to just three points at the half. The injury bug got Atlanta. The loss of Keanu really deflated the aggressiveness on defense. Then Takk, then Debo, then panic. If the Falcons want to win, they need to execute like the 2016 Atlanta Falcons. Sark needs to understand that four straight bunch formations in the red zone is completely ineffective. This team should use more RPO. We have that Hooper, Julio, Ridley http://www.falconsfootballauthentics.com...nes-jersey-authentic , Sanu trio with their ability, Teco with his run/pass options, or can feed the rock to Freeman. We need more aggressiveness and creativity, like the Eagles showed. Well, if you couldn’t tell, I’m frustrated. Matthew ChambersHere we go againIt feels like we are redoing 2017 all over again. It would be tougher to find a single game that sums up Atlanta’s problems more than the Eagles loss. I could brush off some of it as it being the first game of the year. Quinn kept the starters out through a lot of preseason, so my expectation was they will likely look rusty. However, we saw all the problems we had last year. Too many penalties? Yup. Drops? Oh yeah. Uninspired play designs? Definitely. Red zone woes? Check. Matt Ryan looking the worst he has since his rookie year? Confirmed. I think it’s a safe bet that things will improve, but the team’s ceiling may be lower than I expected.Cory Woodroof We’ll Be AlrightEverything went wrong for Atlanta in a Thursday game against the one team that always seems to have its number after a storm delay and on a wet field in Week One, where Dan Quinn’s teams typically don’t perform to their peaks. Also, half the defense got banged up. And they still almost won. It’s okay to be frustrated this team didn’t live up to its potential, but don’t think that they’re not going to very soon. Sark has to be better; we all know that, but so does Ryan. We know he will be by a wide margin. The defense looked stellar until Keanu Neal’s injury, so maybe cling to that until we get to the home game against Carolina? Everything will be okay. I can’t say all of your expectations will be met, but I can also say fairly confidently that the 2018 Falcons will *not* look like this every week. They’ll be much, much better than this. James RaelDon’t harsh my vibe I’m sure every professional sports franchise has fans that freak out after something relatively small goes wrong (e.g., a single loss in a 17 week season) www.atlantafalconsteamonline.com , but Falcons fans are uniquely vulnerable to hysteria. The sky isn’t falling: Ryan had a horrible game, there was some horrible officiating, and it was a horrible way to kick off the regular season. They will bounce back. I get it, you think they suck, top to bottom. But that’s just, like, your opinion man.Trades and signings to fix the Atlanta Falcons defense after Ricardo Allen’s injury The Atlanta Falcons lost Ricardo Allen to a torn Achilles. The injury is awful with a long recuperation time. Top Falcons defenders are dropping like flies, and like we saw against the New Orleans Saints, our current personnel can’t stop anything or anyone. We are talking trades, which always come at the cost of draft picks. We don’t want to drop too many picks on one-year rentals, so it may be time to get rid of an underperforming player or two likely in their last year with the team.So lets start off with that.Trade Vic BeasleyThis may definitely feel extreme, but things are clearly not working with the starting defensive end. Something is a bad fit, and a change of scenery is probably best for both the team and player. The Falcons have to be worried about paying Beasley over $12 million next season. If the Falcons need to rotate their roster, this is a great place to start. Add a draft pick and clear future cap space. Beasley may be in more demand by a 3-4 team, especially one with more cap space going forward. Atlanta could potentially net a day 2 pick they could flip for another player to help with this season.Trade for Earl ThomasThe Falcons are terribly thin at safety. Thomas will require a day two pick and a contract extension. I would normally say this move is crazy, but Allen has one of the worst injuries for a football player. It may be unlikely he’s ready for the start of next season, and it’s also unlikely he will look like his old self in 2019. It’s the worst case scenario for both Allen and the Falcons. Damontae Kazee is the only thing keeping the Falcons from starting Keith Tandy at safety. If the Falcons can swing a trade for Thomas Atlanta Falcons T-Shirt , Kazee could then rotate with underwhelming Jordan Rodgers and another addition.Sign Eric ReidI think it is mostly accepted that Reid has lost a step since his Pro Bowl 2013 season. However, it seems like most teams have been wary to bring in Reid based on his lawsuit against the NFL. It was just two years ago the 49ers exercised his fifth-year option. He has not lost THAT many steps to still be unemployed at this point of the season, and he may be a hard hitting addition to the strong safety spot. He should sign for veteran minimum. Assuming Atlanta brings in Thomas, the Falcons are back to three starter-worthy safeties.Sign Robert AyersAging, yes, but Ayers is a nice DT/DE that has some versatility and some gas left in the tank. He can better bookend Derrick Shelby and move Brooks Reed to the starting spot across from Takkarist McKinley.Sign John SimonWho? Simon is a 6-foot-2, 260-pound defensive end who is only 27 and has averaged almost 4 sacks per year the last three seasons with the Colts and Texans. Plug him behind Steven Means on the depth chart at veteran minimum.Sign Junior GaletteJust kidding, things haven’t gotten that desperate. Even though he did have three sacks last year with Washington.Trade for Defensive LinemenThis is where things start getting tricky. Could the Falcons go aggressive and try prying away a top pass rusher from a struggling team, like Chandler Jones from the Arizona Cardinals? Maybe an underperforming DE/DT type like Arik Armstead or Mario Edwards? In retrospect, the Falcons are regretting letting Adrian Clayborn leave. No one has stepped up into his spot. The Falcons could even look into a run stuffer like A’Shawn Robinson from the Detroit Lions. We are just guessing who may be available, but a number are either buried on the depth chart, or like Beasley, seem unlikely to stick around on their team for the long-term. The ResultsA lot depends on how aggressive Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn want to get. Based on the defense’s performance against the Saints, they should be pretty desperate. With a handful of moves, they can patch up the defense just enough to keep this season going.